1. A. The program and funds shall be administered by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation under a minimum of policies, guidelines and engineering design standards. Approved projects will be awarded to contractors by the State Transportation Commission or by other federal or state agencies under their normal competitive bidding procedures, excluding prequalification of bidders. Force account road projects may be approved for a county by the Transportation Commission. No force account county bridge project shall be reimbursed in excess of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00). No county road project in excess of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00), excluding the cost for engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and utility relocation, in cost shall be done by the force account method. B. Funds available for the County Bridge and Road Improvement Act shall not be subject to fiscal year limitations and shall be available for encumbrance and expenditure purposes for a period of thirty (30) months from the effective date such funds are appropriated. C. In order to receive reimbursement for constructing a force account bridge, a county shall have sufficient funds in the County Bridge and Road Improvement Fund to pay the reimbursement request cost. Upon completion of a force account bridge, the board of county commissioners shall request an inspection of the bridge in accordance with the criteria set forth by the National Bridge Inventory Program. D. When the force account bridge has been inspected and achieves a load rating of H. twenty (20) tons or greater, the board of county commissioners may submit a request for reimbursement to the Department of Transportation. The county shall receive reimbursement for all costs claimed relating to the construction of the bridge provided the inspection report indicates that the county has met or exceeded the criteria set forth in this section. The resolution for reimbursement submitted by the board of county commissioners shall serve to satisfy the requirements of Section 41.16 of Title 62 of the Oklahoma Statutes. County force account bridges eligible for reimbursement from the County Bridge and Road Improvement Fund shall meet or exceed the following criteria: 1. The bridge has been built according to the current edition of the County Bridge Standards manual or from field notes drawn by a registered professional engineer that provide the basic structural requirements to achieve a load rating of H. twenty (20) tons or greater. Field notes may be handwritten specifications or sketches which have been stamped or signed; 2. The finished bridge shall achieve a twenty-ton or greater rating. The rating criteria shall be determined by the National Bridge Inventory and approved by the Department of Transportation for bridges twenty (20) feet or more in length; 3. The subsurface foundation of the bridge shall meet the minimum guidelines established by using approved engineering methods, details of which shall be kept as shop notes; 4. The finished bridge shall have a minimum roadway width of twenty-four (24) feet; and 5. Materials used in the construction of the bridge shall meet or exceed the specifications for materials as specified in the current edition of the County Bridge Standards or certified in writing by the engineer or supplier. E. Monies from the County Bridge and Road Improvement Fund may be used to establish minimum standards for guardrail applications on low-traffic-volume county roads. The board of directors of the association representing the county commissioners of Oklahoma may request the development of guardrail standards for bridges on low-traffic-volume county roads, as defined in the county road standard manual, the cost of which shall be paid from monies from the County Bridge and Road Improvement Fund. F. Prior to construction of the bridge, a county may request that construction supervision be provided by the Circuit Engineering District of which the county is a member to ensure quality control and quality assurance.

Added by Laws 1980, HB 1819, c. 307, § 6, emerg. eff. June 17, 1980; Amended by Laws 1995, HB 1950, c. 25, § 2, eff. November 1, 1995; Amended by Laws 1997, HB 2038, c. 284, § 23, emerg. eff. July 1, 1997 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 1999, HB 1154, c. 240, § 1, eff. November 1, 1999 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2000, HB 2587, c. 110, § 1, emerg. eff. July 1, 2000 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2001, HB 1781, c. 73, § 2, eff. November 1, 2001 (superseded document available); Amended by Laws 2006, SB 1390, c. 157, § 3, emerg. eff. May 15, 2006 (superseded document available).